Fascination

I am still entranced by the tidal change that seems to have happened this month. Who wouldn't be? But like all selfish artists I am interested in its effect on our small world and for me it gives hope - with political change comes cultural change. It won't happen immediately, but there are more than enough signs out there that the old guard has run out of steam.
First the incessant criticism in the art press of wasted opportunities and botched renovations in the corporate museum world - the MOMA mall, Whitney's once again stalled renovation plans, DIA's collapse and the Guggy's persistent flight away from NY. All of these have been addressed by Saltz, Smith, Finch and Henri as the larger issues of money, power and aesthetic lassitude have been addressed. Not to mention the out of control gallery world cowtowing to business principles when they should be bucking the system and discovering new ways of presenting new ideas. Castelli changed the course of art in this country by looking, listening and presenting new artists to the old guard. Where is the new Castelli?
Second the twin doughnut shows of Marden and Scully which are glazed over with postmodern theoretical visual effects, puffed up with corporate capital and hot air, and served up with a steaming cup of art lifestyle affectation. If Cezanne were working today, this is what he'd be working against! These shows all go down well in the media, but they provide no real sustenance for those of us who are art hungry. These are plain and simple - the art careerist's ultimate sugar rush.
Third the Wonder Twins, Currin and Yuskavage, who've hung their hats on the postmodern figurative rack and now find themselves at a mannerist crossroads. For Lisa her show is a transition and hopefully she'll make her way through to something deeper and more real. She's under a lot of hard pressure having to perform for a new gallery. I haven't seen John's show yet and I'm trying to keep an open mind. As I said yesterday the hype for this show has been incredible. Who knows what to make out of the porn connection?
Fourth the absence of any real talk about Abstraction. Most galleries continue to follow the POMO line or the tried and true corporate decoration that abstract painting has become. We must stop following the path of the American model of Greenberg's abstraction - which is tied to materiality and surface. This sort of painting is like Easter Island. All those painting tropes and resources are used up and we're left encountering the artifacts of a long dead culture. Early Modernism holds the key. We must think about the legacy of Matisse and Picasso to create a new painting choice. Abstraction is not at a crossroads, it has hit the wall and fallen down a hole. We must re-encounter that moment when ABEX won. We must reformulate the question for this century. In his recent review of the Whitney show Jerry says, "Everyone knows that Picasso influenced everything, but Picasso didn’t act alone. He was influenced by everyone as well. Modernism wasn’t a two-way street; it was a 10,000-way street." Let's travel down a few new roads. Abstraction is due!
Fifth Jerry Saltz said it in his lovely tribute to Marcia Tucker. "Tucker created something lasting, chaotic and effective. As she put it in 1998, "Richard Tuttle ruined my life." Of course, she meant that in a sense he made her life. Tucker also excelled at ending things. In 1997, after 22 years of directing her beloved institution, she did another thing people don’t do much: She voluntarily stepped aside. Nudge-nudge, museum people everywhere, and I suppose also art critics. Like I said, Tucker was a hero. " Jerry understands that it's time for change, cultural, aesthetic, and political. Henri is a strong, vociferous advocate of this change!
Let's hope that after the thumpin' there might be an opening for dialog!